Android Continues to Surge and Overtakes iPhone, Teens Send Lots of Text Messages
According to the latest figure from comScore, Google’s Android devices have finally leapfrogged over Apple’s iPhone smart phones in the U.S.
The latest report shows that 61.5 million people in the U.S. owned smart phones during the three months ending in November, up 10 percent from the previous three-month period.
RIM led the way with 33.5 percent of the market, down 4.1 percentage points from its 37.6 percent share in August.
Google followed with 26.0 percent, up 6.4 points from its 19.6 percent share in August. Apple, which had been No. 2 before this, finally dropped to No. 3 with 25.0 percent of the market in November, up 0.8 points from its 24.2 percent share in August.
Microsoft was fourth with 9.0 percent, down 1.8 percentage points, while Palm was fifth with 3.9 percent of the market, down 0.7 points.
It will be interesting to see how these rankings shift in the coming months, due to the iPhone finally set to make its arrival onto Verizon’s network.
The top mobile original equipment manufacturer (OEM) in November was Samsung with 24.5 percent of the market, up 0.9 points. LG followed with 20.9 percent, down 0.3 points, while Motorola held steady at No. 3 with 17.0 percent, down 1.8 points.
RIM was fourth with 8.8 percent of the OEM market, down 0.2 percentage points, while Nokia was fifth with 7.2 percent, down 0.4 points from August.
The comScore report also noted that sending text messages to another phone was the most popular form of mobile content usage, as 67.1 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers used this functionality. Using a browser was second with a 35.3 percent response, followed by using downloaded apps with 33.4 percent, accessing social networking sites or blogs with 23.5 percent, playing games with 22.6 percent, and listening to music with 15.0 percent.
According to Nielsen, there are 228 million mobile phone users ages 13 and up, 83.2 million of who are mobile phone Web users.
Mobile users between the ages of 13-17 sent/receive 3,705 SMS per month, far and away the most active age group when it comes to this form of communication. Overall, 66 percent of mobile phone owners send text messages. Also, women talk and text more than their male counterparts.
The top mobile video channel is YouTube, followed by FOX, Comedy Central, ESPN and MTV, according to Nielsen.
Sources:
http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Press_Releases/2011/1/comScore_Reports_November_2010_U.S._Mobile_Subscriber_Market_Share
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704739504576068170230339348.html
http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/factsheet-the-u-s-media-universe/
